JPH10228247A - Electronic price tag system and method to assign address to the tag - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the address assigning method for the system, in which electronic price tags are assigned to plural addresses corresponding to plural products, without depending on article information by arranging at least one of the electronic price tags to the address that is not related to the product against which an electronic price tag is assigned. SOLUTION: An electronic price tag system 16 includes an electronic price tag computer 12, a storage medium 20 and electronic price tags 18A to 18C. In other words, the system 16 includes the tags 18A to 18C which are addressed to plural addresses for plural products and at least one of the tags 18A to 18C is arranged to the address that is not related to the product to which tags 18A to 18C are assigned. For example, identification numbers are assigned to the tags 18A to 18C which are not related to an article 23 and an electronic price tag software 30 individually controls the tags 18B and 18C. The software 30 receives affirmative response messages from the tags 18B and 18C and conducts the process.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shelf label system, and more particularly, to a method for assigning an address to an electronic price tag (EPL).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electronic price tag system generally includes a plurality of electronic price tags for each product in a store. The electronic price tag typically indicates the price of the corresponding item on the store display shelf and is typically mounted on a rail located along the front edge of the display shelf. The electronic price tag can include a translucent LCD. A single store may include thousands of EPLs to indicate the price of the item. The EPL is connected to a central server, and information about the EPL from this server is typically stored in an EPL data file. The price information displayed by the electronic price tag is obtained from the PLU file.

[0003] Electronic price tags are connected to a central server,
You can change the price for all displays from here. Each EPL has an assigned address, which is typically stored in an EPL register or memory. To change the price, the server sends a price change message to the electronic price tag. The electronic price tag compares the address of the price change message with an address stored within itself. If the message address and the internal address match, the EPL executes the instructions contained in the message. If the message address and the internal address do not match, the EPL ignores the instructions in the message and enters another mode to reflect information from other EPLs. Conventional EPL systems use product information as a basis for assigning addresses to EPLs. The product information is usually an order number or a price search file number. However, the electronic price tag system cannot be used in an acknowledgment system. Acknowledgment systems typically include cases where one PLU file item is located in one or more locations in a store, where multiple EPLs are placed in the same PL.
It must be assigned to a U-file item and the original one or more EPLs of any notification messages cannot be determined.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of assigning addresses to electronic price tags that does not depend on item information.

[0005]

The electronic price tag system of the present invention includes a plurality of addressable electronic price tags (18A-18C) for a plurality of products, wherein at least one of the electronic price tags is an electronic price tag. That is, the price tag is placed at an address independent of the product to which the price tag is assigned.

[0006] An electronic price tag system according to the present invention according to claim 1 or 2 is a data price system having individual entries for identifying a product and for identifying an electronic price tag.
Include files.

The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are by way of example only.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the case of FIG.
The electronic price tag system 16 and the transaction processing system 40
including.

The electronic price tag system 16 includes an electronic price tag computer 12, a storage medium 20, and electronic price tags 18A-C.

The electronic price tag computer 12 executes electronic price tag software 30 which processes messages to and from the electronic price tags 18A-C and converts them to an EPL data file 32.
Maintain the content of Messages addressed to EPLs 18A-C include price change messages and status messages.
The price change message instructs EPLs 18A-C to change their displayed prices. Status messages test the operation of EPLs 18A-B by requesting them to respond in a simple, predetermined manner, such as sending back a notification message. EPL software 30 sends a message to EPLs 18A-B using the address assigned by the method of the present invention.

The EPL data file 32 contains identification information, item information, and price information for each EPL 18A-B. The identification information includes an address assigned to the EPL 18A-C by the EPL software 30.

Electronic price tag system 16 includes several groups of electronic price tags. Group 19 represents one PLU file item 23 located at different locations in the store and requiring multiple EPLs 18B-C. Group 21 represents one PLU file item 25 located at one location in the store and requiring one EPL 18A. Electronic price tag system 16 includes a plurality of electronic price tags assigned to PLU file item 22.

The EPLs 18A-C are preferably wireless EPLs, each including a transceiver. The electronic price tag computer 12 is connected to a plurality of transceivers throughout the store. Electronic price tags connected to the electronic price tag computer 12 via a cable can also be used.

Transaction processing system 40 includes transaction processing server 46 and storage medium 42.

Transaction processing server 46 processes price and item information from individual checkout terminals 48.

Storage medium 42 includes PLU file 44, which contains price and item information for item 22.

Referring to FIG. 2, this figure shows an EPL
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a data file 32. EPL data
The file 32 stores the electronic price tags 1 of the electronic price tag system 16.
Includes line entries for 8A-C. Each line entry includes an item identification entry (item ID), an electronic price tag identification entry (electronic price tag ID), and an electronic price tag price checksum numeric entry (electronic price tag check). Conventional EPL systems do not maintain individual values for items and EPLs.

The entry item ID identifies a store item,
Preferably, it is obtained from the PLU file 44 and is confirmed from time to time.

The entry EPL ID identifies which EPL is assigned to the item and which EPL is used as an address when the electronic computer 16 sends a message to the EPL. . The entry electronic price tag ID is a “number” composed of an arbitrary combination of numbers and characters. Each EPL 18A-C is
The electronic price tag ID is stored in an internal register. When the EPL computer 12 sends a message, each EPL compares its stored EPL ID with one or more EPL IDs in the message.

The entry electronic price tag check is performed by the electronic price tag 1
8A-C are numerical values of the checksum of the digit of the price information displayed.

One method that the present invention can use and that the electronic price tag software 30 can perform is:
This is a method of storing a serial number entry of an electronic price tag and obtaining a four-digit number from the last four numbers of the serial number.
In this case, the entry electronic price tag ID is represented by a four-digit hexadecimal number, but other methods of representing an address of four or more digits or less can be used. The EPL serial numbers are numbers assigned to the EPLs at the factory where the EPLs 18A-C are manufactured.

In the case of this example, the electronic price tag ID 4733 corresponds to the electronic price tag 18A. The electronic price tag ID of 0301 corresponds to the electronic price tag 18B. The electronic price tag ID of 030D corresponds to the address of the electronic price tag 18C, and in this case, the same last four digits as the electronic price tag 18B,
It has an electronic price tag serial number having 0301. Therefore, the electronic price tag software 30 changes the last number to “D” so that no two electronic price tags have the same address.

The operator operates the electronic price tag computer 12
Enter the serial number of the electronic price tag manually using the keyboard. Alternatively, the electronic price tag software 30 can
An electronic list of EPL serial numbers recorded by the manufacturer on a portable storage medium, such as a floppy disk, or sent to the EPL computer 12 over a telephone line using a modem, can also be read.

If the last four digits of two or more EPLs are the same, the EPL software 30 may place one digit therein, such as, for example, the last digit, as a unique one.
Hexadecimal digits, which can be replaced automatically or by the operator.

Other methods that the present invention can use are methods in which EPL software 30 uses a random number generator to assign addresses to EPLs, or uses available numbers that follow. . If this method is used, the resulting number must be different from all other EPL identification numbers.

The method of the present invention assigns an identification number to EPLs 18A-C that are unrelated to item 23 so that EPL software 30 allows EPLs 18B
-C can be managed separately. EPL software 30 may receive and process acknowledgment messages from each EPL 18B-C.

Unlike the electronic price tag system 16, the electronic price tag system that uses the item information to address the electronic price tag is a system in which a plurality of electronic price tags assigned to one item successfully receive a message from the electronic price tag computer 12. And it cannot be determined whether or not the notification has been made. Since the plurality of EPLs having the same address all respond at the same time, the EPL computer 12 cannot determine the number of EPLs that have responded.

The method of the present invention can also be used with a system that uses item information so that the system can assign multiple EPLs to a single PLU file item. By using a cross-reference table, an EPL system that identifies EPLs using item information can be converted. By using this cross-reference table, software can be written to convert item information to electronic price tag identification. The disadvantage of this method is that the traffic of one item change is high. The advantage is that the electronic price tag computer 12
However, the relationship between each electronic price tag and the changed item can be guaranteed. This advantage allows the EPL system 16 to price accurately.

Although the present invention has been described with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic price tag system of a store.

FIG. 2 shows the contents of an EPL data file, including the EPL address.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiro Yamazaki 1-19 Tateishi, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa C-501

Claims (2)

[Claims] An electronic price tag system (10) comprising a plurality of addressable electronic price tags (18A-18C) for a plurality of products (22), at least one of the electronic price tags being assigned an electronic price tag. An electronic price tag system, wherein the electronic price tag system is arranged at an address unrelated to the product (23, 25). 2. A method of assigning addresses to electronic price tags (18A-C), wherein the electronic price tags include assigning addresses to price tags that are independent of the product to which they are assigned.